Speaking after reaching his decision on Gaff, Christian said it was up there with the crudest incident he has had to adjudicate on this season.

"Jeremy Cameron was graded similarly with his hit on Harris Andrews," Christian said. "Certainly, it's the highest grading that you can get – intentional, severe and high."

Gaff's strike is likely to have huge ramifications on West Coast's finals chances, with the Tribunal likely to consider similar strikes such as Tom Bugg's on Callum Mills when making its decision on how many matches the Eagles midfielder will miss through suspension.

For those media outlets who have enquired late today on the basis of the Francis/O'Meara charge, the key vision for the Match Review officer for high contact was the reverse angle (attached are 4 stills from that vision). pic.twitter.com/MrBXb4kVPh

St Kilda's Jack Newnes had no case to answer for a tackle that concussed Western Bulldogs defender Roarke Smith, while Brisbane's Stefan Martin was also cleared following an awkward tangle with North Melbourne's Todd Goldstein at a boundary throw-in.

Roarke Smith has also been ruled out with concussion after this clash.